LONDON: After winning his 100th career title in Dubai at the weekend, Roger Federer has put his incredible longevity in tennis down to mental toughness, staying injury-free, a strong support network and a sprinkling of good fortune along the way.

Speaking in the aftermath of his landmark victory, the Swiss superstar called the achievement a 鈥渄ream come true鈥� and said he was feeling a 鈥渄eep satisfaction鈥� with the result.

鈥淚t was an immediate (satisfaction), because I know what it means. I like these type of numbers or records, to be quite honest.

鈥淎 lot of people always emphasize the Grand Slams and all these things, but I play on the ATP Tour, this is where I鈥檝e won so many of them and been around for so long,鈥� he said.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 come expecting I was going to win, I hadn鈥檛 played since Australia. 鈥ㄢ€淚鈥檓 just happy on all fronts with how my game has progressed, how well I played in the finals, on top of it winning the eighth (in Dubai), winning the 100th, so many magical things going on,鈥� he added.

The question on everybody鈥檚 lips now is whether or not he will overtake the great Jimmy Connor鈥檚 haul of 109 titles, a feat that Federer has called 鈥渆xtraordinary.鈥�

鈥淚 know a lot of people always ask me: 鈥楢re you going to go for 109?鈥� but winning titles, to answer the question, is not easy.鈥�

鈥淲inning five matches in six days or five matches in five days, it takes a different type of fitness.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why you have to be fit on many fronts 鈥� mentally, physically, also your game has to translate, you have to be able to beat different types of players.

鈥淣ot just the grinders, not just the big servers, not just the attacking players, you have to be able to beat them all in successive days,鈥� Federer said.

The Swiss ace has been doing just that since he first burst on to the scene in 2001 by beating his idol Pete Sampras at Wimbledon. So how has he managed to maintain his position as one of the game鈥檚 greats for so long?鈥ㄢ€淚 think I needed to get really match tough to be able to be at 100 percent every single day, that was not easy for me, checking my emotions, that was not easy.

鈥淓ventually I figured that part out. Just trying to understand how to play against types of players, I think that was a secret for me.

鈥淭hen saying injury-free, without being injury-free, you will never get to these amount of titles, I believe,鈥� he said.

鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 have done it without a team. My team has been phenomenal throughout.

鈥淚鈥檝e been very fortunate, I鈥檝e said that time and time again from my first coaches all the way through to today 鈥� I always had the right coaches always at the right time.鈥�

Having finally achieved the century landmark, and Federer seemingly in the twilight of his career, questions are inevitably being asked about the future, but the world No. 7 says he has no plans of quitting just yet.

鈥淚 think every player has those weak five seconds where you think: 鈥楻eally, how much more do I want to do?鈥� and it could be after losing an epic five-setter, it could be after playing a shocker, it could be sometimes after winning something, I think everybody goes through that.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 see myself playing anywhere else but Dubai this week and I鈥檓 happy to come here again next year, I鈥檝e enjoyed too much success.

鈥ㄢ€淚 like the tournament too much, so I will be here next year, I have a deal for next year.鈥�